Trump, Takaichi reaffirm alliance days before U.S.-China summit

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump commended Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for her outstanding performance ahead of her upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks occurred on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, as tensions between Beijing and Tokyo continue to escalate. Both leaders praised their strong working relationship, with Takaichi stating that both countries were eager to strengthen ties.

Trump lavished praise on Takaichi, calling her actions "tremendous" and noting that she would "go down in history." The US president expressed his admiration for her toughness and intelligence, describing her as a "friend."

Takaichi pointed out that the meeting took place amid a severe security environment in Asia and praised the bilateral meeting with Trump as a testament to the strength of the Japan-US alliance. She also thanked him for his commitment to the alliance and noted that her recent cabinet reshuffle had left his administration's key interlocutors untouched.

Takaichi highlighted progress in economic security cooperation, mentioning areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and critical minerals. She mentioned that there were numerous issues to discuss, but did not elaborate on specific topics.

The Japanese delegation revealed that Takaichi would provide more details about the talks during a press conference following her address to the General Assembly. Tensions between China and Japan intensified after Takaichi suggested in November that Tokyo might deploy its military in the event of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait.

China viewed her comments as evidence of Tokyo's desire to return to its pre-war militaristic path and has since urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan and restricted exports of rare earths and related materials to Japan. Despite these tensions, Tokyo has sought to appeal to Washington for Beijing to ease its rare earth export restrictions against Japan.

Trump reportedly discussed the issue with Xi during their meeting in Beijing in May. In May, the US, Japan, and South Korea announced a trilateral consultation on economic security to strengthen supply chains and cooperation on critical technologies, expressing solidarity in opposing economic coercion, non-market practices, and arbitrary export restrictions.

They also reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, sending a coordinated message ahead of Trump's planned meeting with Xi at the White House on Thursday.